Principle four - UK Commission on Bereavement

Governments across the UK must legislate so that people can choose whether to register a death in person or online.

Relevant clauses on the establishment of an online register were included in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill introduced in the previous Parliament, but this bill did not pass into law before the general election. The new UK Government has announced a Digital Information and Smart Data Bill which covers the same ground as the previous legislation, enabling the move from a paper-based system to an electronic register.

Governments across the UK must conduct a review of the flow of information from death registration to relevant public bodies and industry, including the feasibility of extending the remit of Tell Us Once

Steering group partners have held conversations with the Department for Work and Pensions around reviewing the function and coverage of the Tell Us Once (TUO) service. Partners continue to press for a review of TUO.

Government departments and regulators must ensure bereaved customers are treated fairly and sensitively by working with relevant industry groups to develop minimum standards for death administration processes.

Marie Curie has launched a campaign ‘Make Sadmin Simple’. More than 30,000 people have signed the public petition calling on banks, telecoms companies and utilities to improve how they support terminally ill and bereaved customers. Meetings have been held with companies and an industry roundtable was recently convened.

Make Sadmin Simple